The Day Everything Changed
by Tutankhamunfreak
Summary: Everything was normal for Alan and Tommy until they decide to hiking up a mountain. Suddenly they find themselves in a world of darkness and fear with no one to rely on except a man who on all accounts should be dead... Please read and rate! UP FOR ADOPTION sorry guys.
1. Chapter 1

**Darren: what are you doing here Why have you captured me? What on Earth do you think you're doing?**

**Tutankhamunfreak: I'm sorry! I know, I know, I should be working on my other stories but this couldn't wait!**

**Darren: Then why am I here? What is the point of me being here?**

**Tutankhamunfreak: So I have someone to talk to. And so no one knows that I ramble on to myself. Now no one can call me crazy!**

**Darren: Well if you think I'm staying here…**

**Tutankhamunfreak: Have you not noticed that you're tied up?**

_**Darren looks down and struggles for a bit then gives up. He sits and curses in foul words that should never be heard again.**_

**Tutankhamunfreak: Don't swear. (To audience) I hope you enjoy this! This is not the actual fan fiction. I do not own Darren Shan sadly. Although…**

_**Darren pales instantly.**_

**Darren: Oh Lord please no! Gods of the vampires help me!**

**Tutankhamunfreak: Enjoy!**

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><p>Alan knew that this was a mistake. He knew that they should never have tried it. They should have done anything but this. It was madness the world he was in now. Not that he would have known it earlier this morning. Earlier this morning he had not been clinging to a mountain and staring into the faces of hungry wolves. Earlier this morning he would not have been captured by bloodthirsty vampires. Earlier this morning all he had cared about was paying the next bill when he got home and telling Tommy all about his fellow scientist's idea of replicating the dinosaurs. No he would never have believed that this would have happened.<p>

They had hiked up the hills, despite what the locals had told them about the place. The locals had a name for this place. T'ap'arrogh hogineri vayry. Place of wandering souls. Place of death. Place of the hungry wolves. They had just thought that it was a good story, how blood-drinkers would travel here every twelve years for some meeting up in the mountain. It was laughable. But it wasn't anymore. It was a nightmare.

They always made trips like these. Always on the eve of his death. They would talk to his spirit; let him know how they were doing. Alan was a scientist, looking into cloning. Tommy was a well-known goalkeeper. He would have been proud. He would have been a world class striker. He and Tommy would have made the local team unbeatable. But that fall had taken everything…

Now look at them. Here they were, trapped, because they had come across some wolves. Some wolves that had swiftly been followed by a load of bulky guys that smelled as if they had not showered in weeks. Now they were being dragged through a load of tunnels and told to keep quiet if they valued their lives.

"Who goes there?" someone shouted up ahead in the gloom. It was a man holding a long spear. He too was well muscled but not massively so. He too was covered in too many scars to count.

"Yebba and Bacchus. We caught some spies. We're here to take them to the Princes," the men who had caught them said. He shoved them into the light of the brazier that was lit by a wooden door. The man scrutinized them for a few agonizing moments before opening his arm wide. The two men behind them shoved them forward through the door. There was another long tunnel and then suddenly they were being shoved through a large hall filled with tables. Some of the tables had occupants. Alan noticed two women near the back of the hall. One was in her late fifties. One was in her thirties, around their age. Neither of them was looking at them with sympathy. They just glared harder than the rest as if to say 'how could you'. Alan wasn't even sure what they had done to do deserve this.

They were shoved through more tunnels once they left the hall. They came to a stop outside a pair of white doors. More guards stood here. They knocked on the door wordlessly when the two had told their story. The doors slowly swung open, revealing the room behind. It was a huge dome made of some white stone. Marble perhaps? But it had a strange quality to it that Alan couldn't explain. There were rows of benches that were empty ringed round a kind of dais. On the dais were four thrones. Two were filled. The first was by a man who had green hair and was wearing skins dyed purple. At least Alan hoped they were dyed purple. He looked as if his last shower had been in a rainfall and Alan could smell him from where he was standing. The person next to him had long black hair and black eyes. He was dressed entirely in black and his skin was so pale Alan would have believed anyone who had told him that this man had never seen the light of day.

The two vampires threw them to the ground and stood guard in case they tried anything. The black haired one glanced around him.

"What is taking that boy so long?" he fumed as if annoyed by this person's tardiness.

"I'm sure he won't be that much longer. The whole Mountain must have heard the news by now," the other said, sounding bored. He skin was oddly red as if he had spent too long in the sun but he was inside a mountain so how that was possible was beyond Alan.

"Your point is? He has no excuse for being late. He just knows that we can't do a thing about it even if he is late," the first one hissed. Alan felt sorry for the poor child. The second one rolled his eyes as if to say 'what am I going to do with you?' Somehow Alan found the courage to speak.

"W-Why are you doing this?" he asked. He had a feeling that they would die anyway so he might as well be condemned for it now. The green haired man gave him an odd look.

"What do you mean? We haven't done anything to you yet." Alan didn't like the way the man said 'yet'. It was another sign that they would surely die.

"Why kidnap us and bring us here? We weren't doing you any harm," Tommy said keeping his eyes fixed to the floor. The green haired man raised an eyebrow.

"We haven't technically kidnapped you either. You can walk out of her anytime you like but first we need to know what you know of this place. For the moment we're waiting for our last Prince to bless us with his presence," he said.

"So as soon as we're done we can leave?" Alan asked hopefully. He never got an answer to that question. Just at that moment the doors to the hall opened and, even though he had to twist his entire body round to see, Alan saw a boy enter. He wasn't really a boy. More a teenager of seventeen but considering there was only a load of middle aged men here he was a boy. He had dark hair and dark eyes. They were not black like the man's eyes, far from it in fact. They were a light hazel brown but they showed scenes of death and horror that even Alan had never seen. They were that kind of dark. His skin was pale as well but not anywhere near as pale as the man on the dais. He was wearing a leather jacket over a black t shirt sporting a heavy metal band. He had black jeans on and a pair of combat boots. Something silver glittered from his wrists but Alan couldn't make out what they were as the boy lowered his hands from pushing the door open. Alan couldn't shake the feeling that there was something familiar about him.

"Ah, Darren, so nice of you to grace us with your presence," the black haired man said sarcastically.

"I am sorry Mika. I had… other business to attend to," the boy said evenly. Odd that he shared a name with their deceased friend. Alan could tell that if you placed the two next to each other this would be how Darren would have looked at this age, minus the scars. They ran across his face, marring the perfect skin with their horrific violence. Alan could tell that there more across the rest of the boy's body. He could make out burn wounds on the boys neck and there was a triangular scar just under the boy's left eyebrow. The boy didn't even acknowledge their existence and simply stalked past them and flopped into the spare throne next to the dirty but friendly one.

"Now to business," the dark one named Mika said as if they had been waiting for eternity to start. "You were found skulking round the walls of Vampire Mountain. Do you deny this?" Tommy glared at the man so Alan answered for him.

"No but we didn't mean any harm."

"So what were you doing then? You know if you don't work for our blood cousins," the green haired man said. Alan stared at him blankly.

"I have no idea what you are talking about," he said.

"We were just climbing the mountain. We didn't actually know that anyone lived in it until we were dragged off here!" Tommy argued. He had stopped glaring at the dark one to fix his gaze on the other man.

"Is this true?" the boy asked but his gaze was fixed on the two men that had brought them here. "Did you not question them as to their intent?" the two men shifted uncomfortably.

"Well… err… no," the one known as Yebba said. The boy raised an eyebrow.

"Well there is your answer Mika as to why they were on the mountain in the first place! They clearly didn't know we were here and decided to go mountaineering," the boy said. Both Mika and the other man stared at him confused. The boy smacked a hand to his head. "It means that they went climbing up the mountain! That's what some humans do for fun!" Alan would have laughed at the expressions on their faces if he hadn't been so terrified.

"Well what do we do with them now? We can't have them wandering off telling everyone about this place," Mika said.

"We're still here you know," Tommy said, irate that they spoke as if they weren't. The vampires ignored them.

"We could always stick 'em with… what're they called…" the green haired man said, clicking his fingers as he thought of the word he was looking for.

"The vampirates," the boy said tiredly as if he was bored of the conversation already. Alan wouldn't have blamed him. He was a teenager in a world of adults.

"That's it. The vampirates. They can go train with the ladies," he said with a wink towards the boy. The boy just rolled his eyes and looked the other way.

"Fine. State your names and your free to go the leaders of the vampirates," Mika said turning to them.

"So you're saying we can't leave?" Alan asked.

"You can leave when you've trained enough," the green haired man said.

"Ok," Alan said slowly. He looked at Tommy who just shrugged. "My name's Alan Morris and this is Tommy Jones." Alan hadn't thought that their names would have much effect on the vampire world but it seemed that that wasn't the case. As soon as he said his name the boy started so violently it looked as if he had jumped at something. The look on his face was as if someone had thwacked his across the face and walked away without a reason. Everyone in the hall stared at him.

"Is there something wrong Darren?" Mika asked. He seemed concerned for the boy. The boy didn't answer for a moment.

"I'm fine," he said eventually but his voice said anything but. He sounded shocked and his eyes darted around the room as if he was suddenly uncomfortable being there.

"Well if you're sure then you can show them to the ladies," the green haired man said playfully but Alan had a feeling that there was a reason that he had done that but he wasn't sure what. Perhaps he simply wanted to be alone to discuss something with the man named Mika. Perhaps he was teasing the boy named Darren. Perhaps it was nothing. Alan wasn't sure.

The two from before stepped back as the boy descended from the thrones. He didn't even make a move to hold them. He just walked past and carried on walking. It was as if he expected them to follow him.

"Should we?" Tommy asked. Alan shrugged.

"Might as well. I want to know what made his jump. It was like he knew who we were," Alan whispered back to him. Tommy nodded and they followed the boy out of the hall.

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><p><strong>Tutankhamunfreak: So what do you think?<strong>

**Darren: Why am I so jumpy? It's like I'm not even me.**

**Tutankhamunfreak: that shall be explained in the story! You know that! We just had a discussion on it!**

**Darren: No we didn't. All we had was you goin on about how great the saga is. I know how great it is but it's not so great to live it.**

**Tutankhamunfreak: Oh well. Your loss. Please review! They are very much appreciated.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Tutankhamunfreak: Ah, life is sweet.**

**Darren: Since when may I ask have life been sweet?**

**Tutankhamunfreak: Since fireworks night was invented. Don't tell me you haven't been to fireworks night!**

**Darren: not for a long time.**

**Tutankhamunfreak: well then you can come watch them with me! Now time for the disclaimers.**

_**Darren sighs and glares at the audience**_

**Darren: The saga if Darren Shan is not owned by Tutankhamunfreak but by the author Darren Shan. Now can someone please save me from this lunatic?**

**Tutankhamunfreak: I'm not crazy!**

**Darren: Help.**

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><p>Chapter 2<p>

Alan stared at the bowl in front of him. He wasn't sure whether or not he could trust the dark gloop in the bowl. The boy-Darren- had dropped them off in the hall they had been through before and they had been picked up by the two women before. They seemed much friendlier now that he and Tommy were not being accused of being spies. In fact they were the perfect hosts of you didn't count the name of the food they had been given.

"Bat broth isn't as bad as it sounds," the younger woman who had introduced herself as Debbie Hemlock said. She gave him an encouraging smile. Alan smiled back at her weakly.

"It's not the taste I'm worried about. It's what happens after," he said. Tommy was already happily munching away at the bread but Alan noticed that he hadn't touched the bowl of bat broth.

"Oh suck it up man. And they say the female is the weaker species!" the other woman who had said her name was Alice Burgess cried in exasperation. Alan stared at her. He had no idea who these women were and they were now trying to poison him with a bowl of winged rats.

"Well it's either bat broth or fried rat. Take your pick," Debbie said. Alan paled at the thought of the other delicacy and spooned a mouthful of broth into his mouth. He grimaced as he felt the leathery tip of a wing brush his tongue but other than that it wasn't as bad as he had first thought. 'That'll teach me to try something new' he thought to himself. Tommy noticed Alan eating it and tried it out for himself. His eyes lit up and began to shovel the stuff in his mouth as if it was the last meal of his life.

"So," Alan said once he was finished. "Who were those people in the hall we just came from?" He noticed them stiffen a little but then shrug at each other.

"The man dressed in black is called Mika Ver Leth. He doesn't like outsiders much," Debbie said.

"Or spiders," said a new voice. Alan turned to see a wrinkled old man dressed from head to toe in red sit at their table. "Seba Nile," he said holding a hand out for Alan to shake. Alan blinked at his polite tone and shook the outstretched hand.

"Alan Morris," Alan said.

"Tommy Jones," Tommy said through a mouthful of broth and bread. The old man nodded.

"The one who smells like he hasn't showered in weeks is Vancha March," Alice said stiffly.

"Yes, why does he smell like that? I know some people here are horrendous but none as much as he does," Alan said wrinkling his nose at the mere thought of the man's repulsive smell.

"Vancha is very traditional," Seba chuckled, "he drinks nothing but blood, water and milk and lives by the wild. Once upon a time every vampire lived as he does now." Alan nearly gagged at the thought of hundreds of repulsive men living in one space with no hygiene. There was only a certain limit one could take on the hygiene levels and Vancha was way past that mark.

"So who's the kid?" Tommy asked as he finished his meal. Seba's eyes darkened slightly. Even the women looked sad.

"Darren is the youngest Vampire Prince," Debbie said slowly yet carefully. She looked sad.

"Yes. The youngest Vampire Prince ever and with a history darker than most," Seba said quietly. I still remember the cheerful and innocent young boy that had only been a vampire for less than a decade taking on a world which was harsh on the young."

"You knew him when he first came here?" Alan asked surprised. "And what's a Vampire Prince?"

"Yes I knew Darren when he first arrived here. He was under the care of one of my old assistants, Larten Crepsley." Seba smiled at the memory.

"Oh," Alan said.

"Larten Crepsley…" Tommy said thoughtfully.

"What about him?" Seba asked, distracted.

"It's just… wasn't that the guy from the Cirque Du Freak? You know the guy with the poisonous spider that Darren used to be so crazy about?" Tommy asked, looking directly at Alan. With a jolt Alan realised that he was right.

"Yeah… Mr Crepsley and Madam Octa," Alan said remembering the words on the poster from so long ago. He noticed everyone at the table was staring at them. "What?"

"How long ago did you hear about the Cirque?" Seba asked. Alan thought for a moment.

"Twenty five years ago," he answered confidently. The others paled.

"Tell me, do you know a man named Steve Leopard?" Seba asked looking deadly serious.

"Yeah," Tommy said obviously not realising that they were treading dangerous waters. "Darren and Steve used to be inseparable but they were still our friends too. Darren was the best midfielder around." Seba looked between them carefully.

"If you value your lives you will keep that information to yourselves," Seba said gravely.

"Why?" Alan asked, suspicious now.

"Because Steve leopard is the Lord of the Vampaneze and will stop at nothing to wipe out everyone in this mountain," Seba said. A long silence filled the table. Alan could feel his heart pumping. He had known that Steve had had issues if that was what you could call them after Darren had died. Then there had been that weird questioning by the police when they had been moving thee graveyard and found out that Darren's grave was empty. But he hadn't expected this. He hadn't thought that Steve would be hunting down an entire race of people.

"You never told us what the Vampire princes were," Tommy pointed out, breaking the awkward silence.

"Oh, yes I did not. How rude of me," Seba said. "The Vampire Princes are the leaders of our clan. They preside over everything we do. The vampire Generals make sure that all we normal vampires stay in line and don't show the world what we really are. Like the police of the vampires," he explained. Alan nodded numbly tryi8ng to process this new piece of news. It all suddenly seemed like too much to comprehend. Odd how only a few weeks ago he had proclaimed that anything could be possible to his fellow colleagues if they just believed that.

"So what's the kid's full name?" Tommy asked. Suddenly Alan felt a feeling of cold dread. Please don't say it... Alan had no such luck.

"Darren Shan," Seba said.

"Impossible. Darren's dead. We went to his funeral!" Tommy snapped.

"As did we seven years ago. By all accounts Darren should be dead," Seba said gravely.

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><p><strong>Darren: What? I should be dead!<strong>

**Tutankhamunfreak: Well you did technically die at the end of the series. You went to paradise remember?**

**Darren: Yeah until you dragged me back to hell.**

**Tutankhamunfreak: I did not drag you to hell. I just brought you into a very interesting fan fiction.**

**Darren: Then why did you tie me to a chair?**

**Tutankhamunfreak: As you tried to get away. Now shut up. I need to think of the next chapter.**

**Darren: Please help me. I want to go back to Paradise.**

**Tutankhamunfreak: Stop moaning. I'll throw you back in the Lake of Souls if you don't.**

_**Darren pales instantly and doesn't say another word.**_

**Tutankhamunfreak: Please keep reviewing! And thanks for the awesome reviews earlier! I'll just say now that I brought Tommy back to life and he never met Darren but other than that the past is the same! Bye!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Darren: Now I know you are just creating hell for me. Taking me from Paradise once was bad enough, but twice?**

**Tutankhamunfreak: I was lonely. **_**(To audience)**_** I'm very sorry for the long wait but I had to fetch Darren back from Paradise since**_** someone**_** sent him back. But I did get him some company.**

**Darren: Who did you get me company with? There's no one else here.**

**Tutankhamunfreak: Oh, he's late. No one shall know who he is because he's not technically from any published story but he's from my own story. You'll know he's here cos his code name is Dark Rebel.**

**Darren: Very inventive but are you going to start the chapter now?**

**Tutankhamunfreak: Hey, I didn't chain you to a chair again did I? Why are you being mean to me? All I wanted was some company! **_**(Tutankhamunfreak runs off leaving Darren looking confused).**_

**Darren: Since I have no idea what just happened I'll just say that Tutankhamunfreak does not own the Saga of Darren Shan and I have a bad feeling about this 'Dark Rebel'. So… err… on with the story?**

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><p>Chapter 3<p>

Darren stalked through the tunnels of Vampire Mountain trying desperately to calm his racing heartbeat. The appearance of those two… why now? Why after all these years did they have to appear now? He knew better than anyone else that they would eventually discover who he was and then there would be hell to pay. They would want answers all right, as well as the entire sorry story. But he couldn't. He had promised…

Darren winced at the thought and absently rubbed the bands on his wrists. Many people had asked him what they were but Darren just told them breezily that they were nothing special, just a piece of jewellery. _But that's a lie isn't it_ Darren he thought to himself. How many lies did he have to tell until the truth could be told? How many…?

_Don't dwell on it_ he snapped at himself. He was in a deserted place in Vampire Mountain but that was fine by him. It would take people much longer to find him here than if he had just gone straight back to the hall of Princes. Lord, there would be hell to pay there as well… Why did they have to find him? Darren growled at himself. Dwelling on things like that was not good for him. Especially for his sanity.

_But sanity isn't worth anything _whispered that voice. Darren growled at it_. Insanity is glorious. All the best things in the world come from the insane. Thank of all the beautiful bloodshed we could do…_

"Shut up!" Darren shouted at the voice, clutching his head in his hands. The bands grew hot and he could feel his chest burning with pain. Oh Lord, this couldn't happen to him here! He couldn't collapse again! Not now! He had thought that that stage was long behind him. He gasped for air, one hand still holding his head the other clutching his shirt over his heart. The bands were getting unbearable but he couldn't take them off. They were the only things between him and that voice. The insanity. The thing he had become.

The silence stretched on. Darren continued to battle himself, trying to gain control of his body again. Trying to get his heart working properly again. Trying to get enough air into his lungs so he wouldn't pass out. Man, it hurt. Not like the last times. He had gotten used to physical pain and emotional pain. But this kind of pain was just plain wrong. The kind of pain that rips through your very soul itself. Something that should never happen.

A cool, gentle hand gently touched Darren's hot skin. It brought little relief to the pain that ripped through him. The person held him, stroking his hair, mumbling softly into his ear. Darren didn't need to see her to know who it was. She always knew when this would happen. She always knew when the thing got free even if only for a moment.

"Shhh, it's all right. You'll be fine. It can't get free," she whispered. Darren didn't say a thing. He just flopped back, unable to hold himself anymore. The cave was unbearably hot and her skin was cool. The bands were literally burning his skin which felt as if it had set itself alight without help from the bands. His chest heaved up and down as he struggled to breathe. It was as if his lungs had just stopped working. "It's all right," he heard her whisper once more as the world turned black.

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><p>Evanna carried on stroking his hair as a mother would, even though he had already succumbed to darkness. It scared her to her core how close these things were becoming. Darren's will was failing and there was only so much punishment one's soul could take. And generally that person's sanity would be long gone by that time. She knew better than anyone else what that voice that whispered enticingly into Darren's ear was. It was the voice of the shadows, of the darkness of pure evil itself. And it was just plain wrong.<p>

"Everything will be fine," Evanna murmured more to herself than anyone else. It had happened so quickly. And she knew exactly what had caused this but she couldn't help Darren any more than she already was. He would have to deal with them herself.

As gently as she could, she scooped Darren off the floor and, using routes known only to her and her father, she carried Darren to his room. The vampires could not see Darren like this. The strangers had caused enough questions. This would only cause more. Darren needed rest and some time alone although this could sometimes be counter-productive. But it was riskier letting people in after one of these attacks. The monster was closer to the skin than most people thought. Darren was very good at hiding things.

She settled Darren into his hammock as best she could and placed a blanket over him. His skin was incredibly hot and a thin sheen of sweat covered his entire body. He looked small and fragile to her. She knew the poison helped little. He was sick and she had to find the cure. Fast.

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><p><strong>Darren: well after all that you've managed to poison me, bring me to hell and now you've brought a stranger here too.<strong>

**Dark Rebel: I had no choice in this either. I'm just not dead yet.**

**Darren: I feel for you.**

**Dark rebel: Thanks.**

**Tutankhamunfreak: I wonder what I do with my life now. You two are hopeless!**

**Darren and Dark Rebel: No we're not!**

**Tutankhamunfreak: Hey, I knew you guys would agree! Now if I don't update for a long time then those two vampires have killed me. Bye!**

_**(Tutankhamunfreak runs off again).**_

**Darren: Well that got rid of her.**

**Dark rebel: Want to go and get the hell out of here while she's gone?**

**Darren: hell yeah! Hope you like this chapter!**

_**(All characters leave).**_


	4. Chapter 4

**Dark Rebel: It's amazing! You're not dead!**

**Tutankhamunfreak: Course I'm not dead. My computer died not me!**

**Darren and Dark Rebel: Shame.**

**Tutankhamunfreak: Hey no fair! I just gave you cupcakes and biscuits and pizza!**

**Darren: You didn't give us any blood and I haven't had any in a while.**

**Tutankhamunfreak: May I point out that he is lying. I watched him drink from some random guy last night which disturbing enough as it was he doesn't need any. **

**Dark Rebel: I do.**

**Tutankhamunfreak: You just fought a war. You don't need any.**

**Dark rebel: Damn I thought I was on to her.**

**Tutankhamunfreak: Ha ha. You have to do the disclaimers now.**

**Dark rebel: Why?**

**Darren: Because if you don't she won't any more of your story and your what? Six chapters away from being finished.**

**Dark rebel: I have no idea but fine. Tutankhamunfreak does not own Darren Shan or any of the other characters from the Saga. **

**Tutankhamunfreak: See that wasn't so hard was it?**

**Dark Rebel: no but what's this I hear about you starting a new story? And Arthur and Merlin being tortured? Are you trying to get yourself killed?**

**Tutankhamunfreak: Oh, Dark Rebel. Always the peacemaker. I should have brought your brother.**

**Dark Rebel and Darren: **_**(shouting)**_** No! Anything but that! **

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><p>Alan groaned as he clambered to his feet for the umpteenth time that evening. Or maybe it was morning? Or the middle of the day? He didn't know anymore and to be honest he didn't care. He ached all over and neither woman seemed ready to call it a night.<p>

"Come on Alan! I know you can do better than that!" Debbie encouraged as she set up for another fight. Alan and Tommy had been training with both Debbie and Alice along with several trainee vampires who were intent on knocking them both out.

"I'd do better if I could rest for a bit," Alan panted, trying to catch his breath. He had lasted about four minuets this tie which was much better than when he had first tried. And that had been against Debbie.

"Our enemies are not resting!" Vanez barked. The blind vampire struck out again and Alan yelped as the vampire's fist made contact with the side of his head. He hit the floor again and didn't even try to get up this time. Vanez sighed. "Fine you can rest for now. You complain worse than Darren did when he was taking his Trials of Initiation the first time!" Alan blew his hair out of his face. It had been growing out and now reached his shoulders. He felt like he could count how long he had been in the mountain by how long his hair was.

Tommy came over and helped him to his feet. Tommy was much better stamina wise since he was used go harsh exercise. Even so neither was doing particularly well. Not that that was a bad thing. The worse they did the more Vanez would compare them to Darren which, annoying as it was, showed a comparison between what Darren had been like when he had arrived. Strangely, Darren seemed far more amusing than troublesome.

"We've been at this all night, every night. Couldn't' we just move on to something else?" Alan asked, aware that he was starting to sound like a whiney teenager.

"No. If you don't cover the basics then we cannot move on. And that means that when you move back out into the world you won't last five minutes in any kind of fight," Vanez said as he had said so many times before.

"Who are these enemies again? I thought you weren't at war anymore," Tommy asked. Alan had wondered about this too. They had been in the mountain for probably months now and they had never once been told who they were meant to be fighting. They had tried looking for Darren to ask him but he seemed to be avoiding them. Either that or he was sick which had been the case a couple of times. The vampires that had given them this news had looked anxious and scared and Alan couldn't blame them. He had learnt from Seba that vampires didn't normally catch diseases and yet Darren seemed to be sick a lot nowadays. There was something going on and it had something to do with Darren's supposed 'death'. Nothing seemed to really make much sense.

"We aren't but some Vampaneze want their Lord back. They think all his ideals were right and that they should have won the war instead of their being an agreement to live peacefully beside each other again. They have a crafty way of learning who has been in contact with vampire and they will stop at nothing to kill people who have even if, like you, they had no idea as to who the vampires are," Vanez said quietly. "Now back to fighting!" Alan groaned as he dragged himself back into a fighting stance against, thankfully, Debbie. She gave him an encouraging smile before attacking.

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><p>Later on that night, probably going to early morning, Alan found himself wandering through the tunnels of Vampire Mountain. He was careful to make sure that he stuck to the tunnels that he knew so that he would be able to make his way back to his room. He wasn't particularly looking for anyone at this point in time and he hadn't realised that he hadn't been as careful as he should have until he was completely lost. He was standing in the middle of a crossroad of tunnels that he had never seen before and none of the surrounding tunnels looked familiar either.<p>

"Damn," Alan swore to himself. He looked around a moment and was about to head off down one of the tunnels when a voice behind him said,

"I wouldn't go down there if I was you." Alan turned on his heel and saw Darren leaning against the tunnel wall opposite him. For a moment he thought about ignoring Darren and heading off down the corridor anyway but shook his head at that. That was a stupid, childish thing to do and he was well into his thirties now.

"What's down this tunnel?" Alan asked out of curiosity. It was his first actual conversation with Darren since seeing him all that time ago and he was blowing it on a conversation about a tunnel. He could have rolled his eyes at himself.

"Nothing much. It's just where all the spiders live and you used to be scared stiff of spiders," Darren said almost conversationally, as if it really were nothing. Alan backtracked away from the tunnel as fast as he could. He really hated spiders.

"So, err, do you know the way back to somewhere recognisable?" Alan asked over his shoulder. A small snort of laughter came from behind him.

"Course."

"Can you take me back without going through spider infested tunnels please?"

"What kind of friend do you take me for?" Alan blinked at that and turned to face Darren. He noted that Darren looked a little surprised himself at that but it was carefully hidden almost instantly.

"So you still think of me and Tommy as your friends? Even after all these years?" Alan asked. Darren's eyes fell to the floor.

"Always." Alan frowned.

"So why not come back? Why go through all this? Why put us through everything you have?" Darren's face twisted.

"It's complicated. You shouldn't even be here let alone be talking to me." Alan blinked at how tight Darren's voice was. He noticed vaguely that Darren was still wearing the bracelets that he had been wearing the last time he had seen him.

"Fine. Then why should you be dead?" Alan felt a slight satisfaction at the fact that he had finally gotten around to saying what he had wanted to say all along. Darren, however, seemed to be struggling to answer that though. It was almost as if there was some internal battle going on inside him.

"I… It's… well…" Daren sighed as if he couldn't get the words out right. "It's a long story. I'm sorry." Alan paused. It had been twenty five years since he had seen his friend and here he was, apologising for something that Alan was only vaguely aware of.

"I've got all night. You look as if you need someone to talk to," Alan said quietly. Darren looked away.

"The night will be finished in about three hours. Then the sun will come up," he said slightly off handedly. Alan scowled.

"I don't care. We're in a mountain aren't we?"

"Well… yeah."

"Then tell me." Darren looked at Alan almost sorrowfully and Alan was shocked to find that his eyes were older than the rest of his face. They seemed even older than Alan himself.

"I guess it started the day you brought the flyer for the Cirque Du Freak," Darren said quietly. Alan walked over to him and they both silently sank to the floor. Darren still had his eyes set to the floor.

"I'm guessing that I should have left that at home now," Alan laughed. Darren gave a small smile.

"Yeah. You probably should have." There was silence for a moment and then, "Are you sure you want to know?" Alan glanced up at Darren and nodded.

"I thought you were dead for over half my life. I never understood why that was. I want to know why you faked your death and why you never came back." Darren sighed again and began again.

"At the Cirque there was this spider… her name was Madame Octa and she was owned by a man named Mr Crepsley. After the show ended Steve told me to wait for him outside the theatre. I never went out there. I went up to the balcony of the theatre and spied on him. He met with Mr Crepsley and asked him to... to be a vampire." Darren went quiet as if remembering this all over again. There was something else there too. A kind of regret.

"And did he?" Alan asked quietly, slightly shocked. Darren shook his head.

"No. his blood was tainted with evil. If Mr Crepsley had known how far that would go he would have run a mile away. Everyone would have. But I'm getting off topic aren't I?" Darren looked up at him with a sort of half smile.

"Yeah, you are," Alan said, smiling back.

"So anyway, I ran home that night instead of going back to Steve's. But I couldn't take my mind off of that spider. I had to have her. I don't know why. I knew then that Mr Crepsley was a vampire and I was scared shitless but I just had to have her. So I stupidly went and stole her."

"I thought Madame Octa was poisonous?" Alan interrupted. Darren's face twisted.

"She was. One day Steve came over and asked why I had been avoiding him. I had perfected how to control her but only if I had concentration. While I was showing her to Steve, Annie walked in." Alan paled.

"Oh no. The spider didn't…"

"She did. Annie did what most people would have and screamed. I lost concentration and Madame Octa took the chance and bit Steve. Luckily for him she was taught to only bite once to paralyze and then bite to kill. She never got the chance to finish him off."

"So what did you do with her then?"

"Threw her out of the window."

"What?" Darren half laughed at the expression of shock that Alan could feel etched across his face.

"Don't worry. Mr Crepsley had been stalking me since the night I had stolen her. He caught her and took off. In the end, I got so worried about Steve that I made a deal with Mr Crepsley. If he saved Steve's life, I would be his assistant. He changed me before I got away but he didn't follow me. He knew what would happen."

"So that's why you started drinking my blood the day when you played lousy after you were on a roll," Alan said, realising that this must have been after. Darren flushed bright red but didn't deny it.

"I almost fed on Annie too. I didn't though and let Mr Crepsley help me fake my death so that no one would look for me when we left. We travelled a lot after that but we eventually went back to the Cirque. I made friends with the snake boy. His name was Evra. He has two kids now…" Darren trailed off for a moment, eyes distant and sad. Alan stayed silent knowing that Darren would continue when he was ready.

"I also made friends with a boy named Sam Grest," Darren said, shaking himself out of his reverie. "Unfortunately for him I invited a man named RV along the same night that he visited the Cirque Du Freak. RV was an eco-warrior and freed to wolf man who subsequently bit off his arms."

"Excuse me?"

"The Wolf man really was a wolf man not some hairy guy. Don't worry RV lived. Sam wasn't so lucky. The wolf man chased to a disused railway and… well… he killed Sam. I…" Darren was obviously finding it hard to say what he wanted. He was absentmindedly rubbing the bands on his wrists. "I had to drink every last drop of blood from him."

"What?" Darren paused before explaining.

"When a vampire or vampaneze drain a person dry, as horrible as that is, they retain a part of a person's soul. There used to be a Vampire Prince here named Paros Skyle. He drank from William Shakespeare and wrote down many of his plays and poems that, had he not, would have been lost forever. When I drank from Sam, I hadn't drunk blood for months and so needed to drink to live as well as to keep a part of him alive. I still have his love of pickled onions." Alan raised an eyebrow at that but didn't question it.

"After that, I and Mr Crepsley became closer. More like friends rather than a pair of people forced to live together. That was the year that we went to Mr Crepsley's home town and took Evra with us. I met a girl there." There was a sudden flash in Darren's eyes. "Dare you to guess who she was?" Alan blinked. How was he supposed to know who she was?

"I haven't got a clue."

"I'll give you a clue. You've already met her." Alan thought for a moment and felt his mouth fall open.

"Not… not Debbie Hemlock?" Darren laughed.

"Yes, Debbie Hemlock. She thought that I and Evra were brothers back then since we looked around the same age. In the end though I ended up having to use her as bait to trap a mad vampaneze who had been terrorizing the town. I think she's forgiven me.

Anyway, nothing much happened for nearly seven years. Then I had to come here for the first time. I think you've heard what a trial that was?"

"You had to take your trails of initiation." Darren snorted.

"I had to prove myself and the trials were designed for fully turned vampires who want to become generals. Were you also told that I ended up failing the first lot, jumping into a rapid stream to escape a traitorous Vampire Prince to be, ran naked with wolves and ended up coming back and stopping the traitor from becoming a Prince. And becoming a Prince myself?"

"No." Darren shook his head with a half-smile on his face.

"I should have run away then. I should have just stuck with the wolf pack but I didn't. Not that I regretted that. I had to leave eventually though. I and Mr Crepsley were supposedly two of the only three people who could kill the Lord of the Vampaneze. In the end we were following the wrong person and we didn't learn that until we had met Evanna, I had gone through the first stage of the purge, fought a short fight with the phoney Vampaneze lord, I had been forced to go to school, been arrested and then lost Mr Crepsley in tunnels after having been betrayed by none other than Steve."

"Steve was there?" Alan knew that Steve had had some issues but joining with the vampaneze who so far didn't sound too appealing? He wondered what else Steve had been up to.

"Yes, Steve was there. He was the reason why Mr Crepsley died a pointless death. We all thought he had fought and killed the Lord of the Vampaneze but Steve was too far gone in the moment to stop to think about it. He told me the truth. The real vampaneze lord was him. He had lied to us and in the end we had to flee. It took a while to get over Mr Crepsley's death. He was… almost like a father to me I guess. It almost seems surreal now that I think about it.

Around about this time, a friend of mine named Harkat Mulds, who was a little person-"

"What's a Little Person?" Alan asked.

"A person who has been dragged out of the Lake of Souls by Mr Tiny and made a deal with him. Their body is then melted down in an acid and fed into a stitched up body that's make up of dead men's parts a bit like Frankenstein. Some have tongues to talk with like Harkat but they can't taste a thing and they don't have a nose to smell with. Normal air is also poisonous to them so they all wear special mask which filter the air so that it is breathable for them."

"Oh."

"Anyway, around this time my friend Harkat started having nightmares. Long story short we got sent into the future and had to fight grotesque human mutant caterpillars, giant toads and dragons that were genetically modified dinosaurs." Alan felt as if Darren wanted to say more on that but he didn't.

"Harkat found out who he had been and we ended up back here. Then the Cirque went on back to our hometown and that's when things went downhill again. Steve turned up and I found out that I had a nephew in a rather unpleasant situation." Darren grimaced at that.

"What do you mean by Unpleasant?"

"Steve had kidnapped Evra's oldest boy, Shancus and killed him. I had to inform Annie that her son was a half vampaneze, all the while going through the purge and ended up doing a rather dangerous blood transfer that was probably not the best idea. We went back to the Cirque and I and Steve ended up fighting. There are some things that I can't tell you about that night but the main thing is that both I and Steve died. We killed each other and fell into a river. I was fished out of the Lake of Souls- that's where all dead souls that don't reach Paradise go- and here I am." Alan thought for a moment. It certainly was a long story.

"What's Paradise? I thought you were a Christian."

"I was but vampires have their own religion. Paradise is our version of heaven and the Lake of Souls is the literal hell, even if you don't deserve to go there. Trust me when I say that's it's easier to be mad in the Lake of Souls than to be sane." Alan was quiet for a moment but Darren cut him off before he spoke.

"You should head back to your room. Come, on. I'll show you the way." And with that Darren got up and refused to speak another word.

* * *

><p><strong>Darren: wow that was double the length of the last chapter.<strong>

**Dark Rebel: I'd say it was more triple.**

**Tutankhamunfreak: You know I don't think anyone cares how much longer this chapter is to the last one. They just care that the story's been updated and it's a longer chapter.**

**Darren: yes, but then it's more time about me.**

**(Tutankhamunfreak rolls her eyes)**

**Dark rebel: By the way what was the shouting in the background?**

**Tutankhamunfreak: Oh, that was just my dad telling me to stop spellchecking this chapter, or as he puts it 'Now stop writing that shit and do as you're told!'**

**Darren: Nice guy. I never knew that we were shit.**

**Tutankhamunfreak: yeah, he's cranky cos he lost his job and is stuck at hoe looking for a new one. On the up side though he doesn't have to work with people who annoy the hell out of him.**

**Dark Rebel: I'm glad that we're not living in your house. Living with you dad sounds scary.**

**Tutankhamunfreak: And living with your brother isn't?**

**Darren: just to clarify what they're saying, Dark rebel's brother dropped in one day and although they're twins, he is much scarier and nearly killed us all. Apparently he has blood issues.**

**Tutankhamunfreak: ha, you haven't met his girlfriend.**

**Darren: now I'm just confused. Explain this story to me again.**

**(Tutankhamunfreak face palms)**

**Dark rebel: I take that as a never mind. Hope you liked the chapter.**

**Darren: yeah, less torture happened in the making of this chapter.**

**Tutankhamunfreak: yes, i hoped you liked the chapter much more than I like my form at the moment. We were meant to be doing a swimming gala today and I was the ONLY person who turned up with kit to do it.**

**Darren: yeah, she's not happy at the moment. You can probably tell from the shouting match with her dad.**

**Tutankhamunfreak: (Tutankhamunfreak's brohter jumps in and shouts BOO!). Yeah that wasn't funny either. now get out of here and back where you belong.**

**Tutankhamunfreak's brother: NEVER!**

**Darren and Dark Rebel: Oh, no.**


	5. Sorry

**Author's Note**

**I am very sorry to all those who are expecting an amazing update and got a stinking author's note instead but this is just a warning. Some of my fanfics are coming down because I still have loads of The War of the Wizards left to do and it may take a while to finish it. I feel kind of useless having a bunch of stories online where people read them and sit there for months on end waiting patiently for them to be updated only to find that it is a) an author's note and b) they say it will take such and such a time to update and then never do. I know the dreariness of it and so I am taking down some of my uncompleted, shorter stories such as my yugioh fanfics and some of my Merlin ones and maybe (sob but I must say it) Darren Shan ones. I am so sorry that you are all so disappointed with this rubbish author's note and please don't kill me but I am in the middle of my GCSE's, my school is pressuring me to look at sixth forms and UNIVERSITIES for no good reason and, frankly, I have not been in a writing mood lately (I don't know if this is a thing about getting older that you write less fanfics and start reading more of it).**

**So very sorry,**

**Tutankhamunfreak**


	6. Chapter 5

**Darren: You left me here for EIGHT MONTHS and only NOW have the gall to UPDATE this?**

**Tutankhamunfreak: Eheh... I ran out of ideas?**

**(Darren scowls and glares at author)**

**Tutankhamunfreak: Ok, so I'm really sorry that I haven't been around but I was being hounded by my bitchy art teacher and kind of had this massive writer's block and inability to write...**

**Darren: you still left me here for eight moths, in which time you went to Iceland and back!**

**Tutankhamunfreak: To be fair that was a fifteenth birthday present from last year and I was forced to spend it with my weird geography teacher and my hop-along friend who ended up on crutches!**

**Darren: Does everything you do require medical help?**

**Tutankhamunfreak: No.**

**Darren: (to audience) sorry about this but the _author_ has been a bit lacking of late if you haven't noticed. I'm surprised you even remembered me here since Dark Rebel left.**

**Tutankhamunfreak: yeah, where is he?**

**Darren: He left when you started re-writing your story. Said something about having to make sure his brother didn't end the world or something.**

**Tutankhamunfreak: Oh yeah. (to audience) Ok, so obligatory disclaimer: I don't own the Darren Shan saga. Those rights belong to Darren Shan himself although the plot does happen to belong exclusively to me. So, on with the show before Darren decides to attempt homicide.**

* * *

><p>It took some time for Alan to process the information he had gleaned from Darren. It was certainly eye-opening but it didn't explain everything. There was still the question of his 'sickness' and why he never took off the silver bands from his wrists. Alan had known Darren exceedingly well for the first eleven years of their lives and he was sure that in the twenty or so years they had been apart, Darren had pretty much lost interest in fashion statements. All the vampires wore clothes that were either old or dirty, some so much so that they looked more like rags than clothes, and Darren was no exception. So the silver bands made no sense.<p>

There was also the feeling that there was more to his story than met the eye. Darren had had no qualms telling Alan he wasn't a Christian anymore and yet he still looked uncomfortable when talking about Evanna and his friend, the Little Person. There was probably a reasonable explanation for it but the feeling still remained. What had happened in the recent years that Darren no longer felt that he could confide in his oldest friends?

But then there was the revelation of Steve.

Alan had known about Steve's little 'affair' with Annie and it was clear that Darren did too, so why did it feel like there was more about the whole fiasco than met the eye? Darren's story made it clear that Steve only used Darius as a tool (and how he had turned Darius into a half-vampaneze, Alan didn't want to know) but it didn't explain why there was something almost… guilty when Darren spoke Steve's name. Surely he would be angry or at least _annoyed_ that Steve had practically raped his sister? What did Darren have to feel guilty about other than not knowing?

There was little that Tommy could give as answers and neither Alice nor even Debbie could answer their questions as to this.

"Darren rarely talks about what happened by the river and Vancha was out cold for most of it," was Debbie's answer to Alan's question. He noted that she looked sad, almost disappointed even, about this apparent lack of trust. Even Seba had little clue.

"It is almost as if Darren has retreated into himself and feels that the rest of us would be better of knowing as little of the truth as possible." Alan cursed the old man's almost cryptic answer. It still didn't answer his question in the slightest. And the most annoying thing was that Darren had reverted to avoiding them _again_. If Alan had been any younger he would have pursued Darren and demanded the answers out of him but he was a grown man now and had other things to worry about than the boy who should have been dead yet wasn't.

At least he had until he had managed to be kidnapped by vampires.

Weeks passed and eventually, there seemed to be an improvement in their training. Alan wasn't thrown to the floor practically instantaneously every match (although he still ended up on the floor most of the time) and they were both able to at least hold their own against the ladies, if not able to beat them yet. Alan still went to bed (if a coffin could be called that) feeling exhausted but the routine began to feel much better as his body got used to the vigorous daily exercise and the disrupted sleep patterns. He also managed to vaguely begin to tell when it was light and when it was dark outside the mountain, although he wasn't always completely right.

A month had passed since the initial kidnapping and, while Alan may have learnt an extreme amount during that month, he still knew relatively little about some other mysteries. The vampaneze was becoming a rather pressing issue for him. Tommy wasn't affected so much by this, having never been too curious by nature. If something was explained to him then he would happily go through life just knowing that ad wouldn't ask for anything more. Alan, however, was a scientist and wanted much more in his life than the normal (although his current condition was definitely abnormal). He needed to know about these vampaneze creatures and why they were such a threat.

"They are not a threat as such," Seba explained when Alan posed the question to them. "In fact, vampaneze and vampires used to be one and the same."

"What happened?" Alan asked.

"Vampires used to think that humans were put upon this world simply as sustenance. You understand that when a vampire drains a person of blood they absorb a part of that human's soul, yes?" Alan nodded. "Well, seven hundred years ago vampires decided that they did not wish to always drain people dry. They began to realise that this only caused trouble and dissent between humans and vampires and an agreement was met that vampires would drink but not kill humans. However, some vampires did not agree with this notion and broke away from the clan. Seven hundred of them in fact. They declared themselves a new clan and the vampaneze were born."

"That's terrible!" Alan exclaimed.

"Not really," Seba said patiently. "There was a war between the two clans seven hundred years ago but it caused too much chaos between vampires, vampaneze and humans. The humans could not tell between the two clans and fought back. However, the vampaneze do not think that draining a person dry is an act of horror, but rather, an act of honour." Alan pulled a face.

"That's a little twisted." Seba sighed.

"I do not think that you understand. They believe that it is an honour to carry a part of the soul of the person they have killed. They believe that they are not truly murdering a person if a part of that person is retained within themselves. Besides, the vampaneze have stricter rules than even we have. They are forbidden from using any long range weapons, including staffs and spears. They cannot lie or they will be condemned by other vampaneze and they are loyal to a fault. If a vampaneze pledges his support to you, he will stand by you and your family till the day he dies." Seba sent Alan a pointed look, almost daring him to say something.

"I still don't understand how killing a person and draining them of blood is an honour."

"It does not matter. It is simply their beliefs and as an old man, I know very well how much meddling with another's beliefs is dangerous. You may not like it, I may not like it, but that does not mean we should condemn it." Alan looked at him in surprise.

"Is everyone of this opinion?" Seba rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"Well, ever since the War of the Scars, even more young vampires sees the vampaneze as evil beings but, you see, that is not the case. There are many who wish to end this uneasy truce between us and wipe them out completely but they can do nothing without angering the Princes, Darren especially." Alan blinked.

"I would have thought that Darren would hate the vampaneze after everything they have done to him and his family," Alan murmured. Seba just shook his head.

"Darren understands something of what I have told you. He understands a great deal about the world for one so young. I almost wish that he did not."

"What do you mean?" Seba sighed again and looked mournfully at the floor.

"I am sure you know that Darren has had a troubled life, the likes you have never seen before. I will spare you the details that you surely know. Darren does not condemn the vampaneze, although I have never been clear why. Like you, he once did not understand them but he never hated them. There was a time when he would not take up arms against anyone. I still remember the day when a young boy looked up at me from his first battlefield crying over the body of a dead vampaneze, perhaps only a few years older in looks than himself. While I may not know the reason why he does not abhor the vampaneze, I do not believe that he has ever forgotten that day either." Silence ensued between them as Alan tried to put his thoughts together.

Darren had said no such thing to him about a battle between the vampaneze and vampires at this mountain but it had obviously had a profound effect upon him. There was something in Seba's gaze that made Alan think that Seba pities Darren almost as much as he pities the young vampaneze whom Darren had killed that day.

"Do you pity him?" Alan asked. Seba looked up for a moment, a thoughtful look in his eyes.

"Sometimes I think that Larten was hasty in blooding Darren and yet at other times I believe that he took the right course. Now, however…" Seba trailed off, his eyes once more on the floor. The Hall was filling up although Alan was still not sure of the exact name of it. Vampires were beginning to rise for the night and many were calling for food and ale. "Now, I believe that Darren had learned something so terrible that any innocence left has been stripped away," Seba said quietly, so quietly it was almost lost in the sudden din. Alan glanced back at Seba, wondering why he was suddenly so morose.

There was a sudden commotion amongst some of the younger vampires. Alan glanced towards them and found that they were grouped around Darren, who, surprisingly, looked half-way through a bowl of bat broth. How long had he been sitting there for? He certainly hadn't been in the Hall when Alan had entered and yet, he also had not heard him come in.

"The Festival of the Undead approaches _Sire_. I'm looking forward to pummelling you on the bars!" The speaker was a tall, broad, hairy specimen, with a face that looked as if it had been punched in too many times. This vampire seemed to feel that wearing no shirt was the way to look one of the toughest, although Alan knew that this particular vampire hadn't been in the mountain any longer than he had (although he had made much faster progress than Alan had).

"I wouldn't try it," Darren said quietly, not looking up from his meal. In fact he just spooned another mouthful of the broth into his mouth and continued to ignore them. The other vampire didn't seem to get the message.

"I thought all the Princes were supposed to join in? Or do you get _allowances_ made because you're only a little _Halfling_ who can't stand the heat?" Alan felt angry at the derogatory words that the vampire threw at Darren and he noticed Darren tense. Seba was looking at the group too and was shaking his head.

"Chadron is a fool if he thinks that he can best Darren, half vampire or not," Vancha stated, suddenly appearing at Alan's shoulder, causing him to jump a foot in the air.

"Why do you all feel the need to sneak up on us?" Alan snapped. Vancha raised an eyebrow.

"We don't sneak up on you. You're just too unobservant to notice us approach." Alan rolled his eyes and turned back to Darren. It was still hard to believe that Darren would be able to hold his own against the rather large and hairy vampire facing him.

"I don't need any allowance to be made. And I will be joining the games in the _actual_ Festival of the Undead and not when some numbskull thinks he's better than me because he's bigger, hairier and smellier than me," Darren snapped back in retaliation to the vampire's comment. He was holding the spoon so tightly that his knuckles were white and Alan wondered how the spoon was still in once piece.

The vampire looked suitably insulted and Alan found that he had little pity for the man. After all he had just insulted an old friend, no matter how long it had been since they had seen each other and how many secrets he had.

"How dare you-!" the vampire began before Darren's fist suddenly flew to meet his face. If Alan hadn't been looking at him, he would barely have seen it. Darren moved at a speed which was incredible, even after seeing the vampires flit about in the mountain.

"Yes, I do," Darren spat before turning and walking away. The vampire looked up from the floor, his eyes burning.

"You'll pay for this Shan! I swear you will!" the vampire shouted, his voice thick with blood from a split lip. Darren paused for a moment and glanced behind.

"So be it."

* * *

><p><strong>Darren: So, why have I gone from being depressed to idiot in about three seconds.<strong>

**Tutankhamunfreak: Don't know. I think it was something to do with the fact that I was trying to show how different you were.**

**Darren: And when are you going to explain this 'silver bands' thing?**

**Tutankhamunfreak: I'll explain it when I get to it. I'm not really sure at the moment where this is going. I'm just letting the story flow at the moment so I'm just happy this chapter turned out the way it did.**

**Darren: Ok then. (to audience) Well, I'll see you next time, whenever that is. I think the author's going to go hide under her covers now and freak out about her exam tomorrow and in the coming weeks so it might be a while. Again. Wish me luck!**


	7. Important notice

**Author's Note:**

**I am very sorry to all those who have desperately been waiting for an update and only gotten this. It has been a few years since I last updated this and I've been trying desperately to get on top of my school work and other stories that I haven't been able to take the proper time to go back over this and add to/finish it. So I'm giving you two options for what you want most:**

**I can put this up for adoption for whoever wishes to finish it. I feel sad to let this go but I'm not sure whether I can finish it.**

**I can leave it and review my notes later to perhaps finish it at a later date with hopefully more ideas and commitment to this story.**

**I can take the story down from the site altogether (although I won't do this unless anyone wants that to happen. More of a last resort).**

**I'm sorry that this isn't an update and I'm sorry that I won't be able to finish it for a long time but I have been reviewing all my recent stories and between my exams, family and the rest of them I don't have time or knowledge as to finish this.**

**So sorry,**

**Tutankhamunfreak**


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